ON July 24, 2021, the New Westminster Police Department (NWPD) responded to a call of an unresponsive infant in the 1300 block of 5th Avenue in New Westminster. Attending officers found the circumstances surrounding the death to be suspicious and the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) was called to investigate.
IHIT worked in close partnership with the NWPD Major Crimes, the Integrated Forensic Identification Services (IFIS) and BC Coroners Service to advance the investigation.
Investigators worked tirelessly to uncover the events leading up to the infant’s death.
On February 27, 2023, Karma Dyck was charged with manslaughter, aggravated assault, assault with a weapon, and failure to provide the necessaries of life. Dyck was the mother of the infant, who was 18 months old at the time of her death.
On April 28, 2025, Dyck pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the Supreme Court of BC in New Westminster.
On July 27, 2026, Dyck, now 44 years old, was sentenced to four and a half years in prison. The court also imposed a lifetime firearms prohibition and a DNA order.
“Infant deaths are particularly challenging to investigate,” says Sgt. Freda Fong of IHIT. “In addition to the profound emotional impact of these cases, they often occur in private settings with limited witness evidence, making them difficult to prove beyond a reasonable doubt. Investigators must go to great lengths to gather a wide range of corroborating evidence.”
“While nothing can undo the tragedy, establishing the truth helps to provide some answers to those affected and offers an opportunity to learn from it in hope of preventing similar incidents in the future.”
